Javier Tebas: Age Prevented Lamine Yamal From Winning the Ballon d’Or
The president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, has expressed his opinion on the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony, where Lamine Yamal, the young Barcelona star, came in second place.
Yamal, who turned 18 in July, was surpassed by Ousmane Dembélé, a Paris Saint-Germain player, in the voting for the prestigious award.
Tebas believes that Yamal’s age was a determining factor in the result, but he is convinced that the Barcelona player will win the award in the future.
“If I were over 23 years old, I’m sure I would have won it too, but since he’s younger, they gave him the other [Kopa Trophy],” Tebas commented.
Javier Tebas
Despite not winning the Ballon d’Or, Yamal made history by becoming the multiple winner of the Kopa Trophy, an award that recognizes the best player under 21 years old.Lamine Yamal quedó en segundo lugar en la votación del Balón de Oro.Dembélé, 28, scored 35 goals in 53 games across all competitions for PSG, who won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France, as well as their first Champions League title.
Yamal, for his part, scored 18 goals in 55 matches last season, in which Barça won LaLiga, the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey, but lost in the semi-finals of the Champions League against Inter Milan. After receiving the Kopa Trophy, Yamal stated that he must “keep working to win other awards in the future”.
Yamal has broken numerous records since his debut with Barcelona at 16 years old, including being the youngest goalscorer in LaLiga history and the youngest player to participate in a European Championship. He was awarded the Young Player of the Tournament at the Euro 2024, where Spain was crowned champion.
Tebas trusts that Yamal will win the Ballon d’Or in the near future. “If he continues at the level he has, which seems likely, I think there is no doubt that he will win the Ballon d’Or,” he stated.
